Device for repairing snagged knitwear fabrics

ABSTRACT

A device is described herein for removing snags protruding from the surface of a knitwear fabric. The device includes an elongated shaft having a flexible snag-engaging means connected to one end thereof. In operation, the shaft is inserted into the fabric closely adjacent the snag fibers. The shaft forces the fabric fibers apart to form an opening. The shaft is drawn through the fabric to bring the flexible snag engaging means into contact with the opening. The fibers surrounding the opening contract against the snag-engaging means, bringing snag-engaging surfaces thereof into contact with one another to grip snag fibers and pull them into or through the opening.

United States Patent 1191 Hart Nov. 4, 1975 [54] ggqggggggg SNAGGED OTHER PUBLICATIONS Reichman, C. Mens Wear Culters Surmount Initial lnventol'l David H311, BOX Connell, Fabrication Obstacles In Knitting Times 41(80) pp.

Wash- 99326 44, 45, & 80. Mar. 13, 1972. [22] Filed: Oct. 26, 1973 Primary Examiner-W. C. Reynolds p N04 4101211 Assistant Examiner-Andrew M. Falik Attorney, Agent, or FirmWells, St. John & Roberts [52] US. Cl. 66/1. R; 139/1.5 [51] Int. Cl. D04B 17/02 ABSTRACT [58] Field of Search 66/ 1.5, 2.0, 117, 1.0 R, A device is described herein for removing snags pro- 66/169, 170; 139/ 1.5; 128/339; 223/102 truding from the surface of a knitwear fabric. The device includes an elongated shaft having a flexible snag- [56] References Cited engaging means connected to one end thereof. In op- UNITED STATES PATENTS eration, the shaft is inserted into the fabric closely ad- 1,012,768 12/1911 Vogelmann 128/339 the Snag The Shaft forces the .fabric 1,055,058 3/1913 Leighton 128/339 apart to r h shaft w 2,526,104 10/1950 Yamamoto 223/102 through the fabrlc 10 bring the flexlble Snag engagmg 2,601,771 7/1952 Cameron 66/170 a s into Contact with the opening. The fibers sur- 2,741,409 4/1956 Orthwine 223/102 rounding the opening contract against the snag- 3,031,116 4/1962 Hunter 223/102 engaging means, bringing snag-engaging surfaces 3,096,635 7/1963 Somyk 66/170 thereof into ontact one another to nag fi- 3,226,958 1/1966 Niemer et a1. 66/ 169 hers and pull them into thfough the Opening 3,252,176 5/1966 Gropper 66/170 3,404,707 10/1968 Feld 139/15 5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures U.S. Pateant Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet10f2 3,916,645

FIG 1 US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet 2 of2 3,916,645

DEVICE FOR REPAIRING SNAGGED KNITWEAR FABRICS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The device of the present invention is related basically to apparatus for repairing damaged cloth or synthetic fibers and is more particularly concerned with the area of such art relating to devices for repairing snags in knitwear fabrics. With the increasing popularity of double knit fabrics, a definite need has arisen for a device that will efficiently repair snags which, as well known, occur frequently in such knitwear garments. It has also become very desirable for knitwear garment owners to obtain a simple and inexpensive device for effectively and permanently removing snags from the exterior surface of knitwear garments without leaving identifiable repair marks thereon.

Devices for enabling surface repair of garments are not new in the garment or fabric repair art. Most such devices are comprised of a hook arrangement whereby a damaged or frayed fabric strand is hooked and pulled from one fabric surface to another. Two such devices are shown in U.S. patents granted to W. S. I-Iieber etal. and C. R. Dunn et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,343,183 and 1,793,225. The W. S. Hieber device includes an elongated shaft having a hooked end and a pivoted latch adjacent the hooked end. The hooked end is forced through fabric to engage a specific strand. As the hook is pulled back through the fabric, the latch is pivoted onto the hook to form an eye (as in an ordinary needle) through which the strand extends. The strand is thereby drawn back to the side of the fabric wherein the hook was initially forced through.

It is a first object of the present invention to provide a device for repairing snags and knitwear fabrics that is operable to efficiently remove a snag comprised of loose fibers protruding from one surface of a fabric.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a device that will remove such snags from one side of a garment without leaving an identifiable mark on the one side.

It is a further object of my invention to provide such a device that is extremely simple in construction and thereby inexpensive to purchase and to operate.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following disclosure which, taken with the accompanying drawings describe a preferred and alternate form of the present invention.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Preferred and alternate embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a device of the preferred form of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational operational view of the device of the preferred form;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 only showing a different operational position of the device of the preferred form in relation to a knitwear fabric;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of a knitwear fabric in cross section illustrating the finished condition of the fabric after use of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of an alternate form of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic enlarged plan view taken substantially along line 66 in FIG. 2;

2 FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 only taken substantially along line 77 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 only illustrating operation of the alternate form of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED AND ALTERNATE EMBODIMENT The device illustrated in the accompanying drawings is intended for use in removing snags from knitwear garments. A typical snag 11 is illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, protruding from an exterior surface 12 of a knitwear fabric 13. Snags such as that designated by numeral 11 are comprisedof fabric fibers that have been pulled or torn loose of strands or threads 13a. The strands 13a are normally interconnected or knitted" together to form the fabric. FIGS. 5-7 diagrammatically illustrate a simple knitwear fabric 13 formed of interconnected strands 13a. It may be noted that snag 11 is not illustrated in FIGS. 57. It was intentionally omitted from those Figs. in order to illustrate as clearly as possible the response of strands 13a to the operation of the present invention.

Two forms of the presentinvention are shown in the drawings wherein FIGS. l-3, and 7 illustrate a preferred form, the alternate form being shown in FIGS. 5 and 8. Both forms of the device however basically include a means 9 for forming an opening 15 through the knitwear fabric and a flexible snag-engaging means 10 for engaging the snag 11 and drawing it into the opening 15. The opening forming means 9 is illustrated in the drawings as an elongated shaft 16 interconnected with the flexible snag-engaging means 10. The shaft includes a cross-sectional dimension adjacent the flexible snag-engaging means 10 (FIG. 6) that is sufficient to forceably spread the strands 13a apart to form opening 15 through the fabric 13.

It is preferable that the shaft 16 include a pointed end 17 to assist in separating the strands 13a to form opening 15 without damaging the fabric 13. End 17 may be slightly rounded or ball pointed to further assist in preventing fabric damage.

Each of the illustrated embodiments include a shaft 16 having a pointed end 17 and further, at a rearward end 18 thereof, an aperture 19 extending through the shaft. The aperture 19 functions to interconnect flexible snag-engaging means 10 with shaft 16.

As a matter of convenience, the opening forming means 9 may be provided in the form of a sewing needle, since such needles include the preferred characteristics described above. I have found through experimentation with many differently knitted fabrics that a 2% inch long darning needle includes a cross-sectional shaft dimension (approximately 0.04 inches) that will form a sufficiently large opening 15 without harming the fabric 13.

It should be noted that it is not the purpose of this disclosure to restrict opening forming means 9 to the particular configuration described above. It is conceivable, for example, that a shaft 16 may be utilized that includes an axial bore or a foldable flap serving to interconnect opening-forming means 9 and the snag-engaging means 10. It is further possible that the entire device may be manufactured as a single unit wherein the means 9 and snag-engaging means 10 are integral.

Referring in general to the snag-engaging means 10, it may be seen that means 10 of both embodiments are typically interconnected with and extend a finite length (preferably about 3 inches) from means 9. Both em- 3 bodiments further include snag-engaging surfaces, which, in the preferred form are comprised of areal side surfaces 27 of a flexible sheet 25, and in the alternate form are comprised of the peripheral surfaces 29 of a plurality of strands or threads 31.

In the preferred form, (FIG. 1) snag-engaging means is comprised of a thin elongated sheet 25 of a flexible material with areal sides face surfaces 27 and longitudinal side edges 28 that form at least two elongated, flexible, gripping elements 29 that extend from the rear end 18 terminating in free ends. The side edges 28 define a cross-sectional dimension of sheet 25 that is greater than the cross-sectional dimension of shaft 16 described above. I have found that a sheet 25 having overall dimensions of 6 inches long and A inch wide is preferable for forming two elements 29 for use with common knitwear fabrics. This feature is important since the elements 29, being of greater dimension than the opening 15, is forced by tension of the strands 13a about opening 15 to fold onto itself as it is drawn through the fabric 13. This action brings the face surfaces 27 together in a plurality of folds as shown in FIG. 7, gripping each other and the snag fibers between the folds and thereby pulling the snag into or through the opening 15.

The folding and gripping action of the face surfaces 27 is further enhanced by a directional U-shaped folded section 30 of sheet within the shaft aperture 19 in which the side edges 28 defining the open end thereof. The open end of the U-shaped section is arranged within the aperture 19 so that it faces the pointed end 17. Section 30 enhances the crimping and folding action of the sheet 25 since it initially crimps the sides 27 to form a first gripping area for engaging and drawing the snag through the fabric 13.

Snag-engaging means 10 may be constructed of any flexible material of sufficient tensile strength to allow it to be drawn through the opening 15 without breaking. I have found again through experimentation that a sheet 25 formed of a synthetic resin or polymer, preferably a highly flexible material having relatively high tensile strength such as polyethylene, is particularly suitable for use by the present invention. Such synthetic resins are flexible by nature and provide desirable wear characteristics. It is further possible that means 10 be constructed of a fine fabric, preferably a synthetic such as Spandex nylon that will not fray easily.

Snag-engaging means 10 of the alternate form (FIG. 5) is comprised of a plurality of strands or threads 31 interconnected with the opening forming means 9 forming a plurality of elongated, flexible, gripping elements 29 that terminate in free ends. The individual cross-sectional diameters of the threads 31 is such that, when drawn through opening 15, they form a combined cross-sectional dimension greater than the cross-sectional dimension of the opening 15. This provision causes the elements 29 to overlap one another, entwining and frictionally pulling the snag fibers into or through the opening 15. The composition of threads 31 is relatively optional, but a thread material that does not fray easily and will wear long as do the synthetic resins, is preferable.

The relative cross-sectional dimensions of the flexible snag-engaging means 10, compared to the crosssectional diameter of shaft 16, along with the density of the knitwear fabric, are factors determining the effective workability of the present invention. I have found that the dimensions disclosed above are particularly adapted for use in repairing snags occurring in a majority of the presently-known knitwear fabrics. These dimensions however must be such that the shaft 16 will expand or spread the fabric strands 13a as it is inserted through the fabric from the snagged surface thereof. This condition is best illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 wherein the shaft periphery has spread the fibers apart to form opening 15 through the fabric 13. It is necessary that the fiber strands 13a surrounding the opening be under tension so that as the snag-engaging means 10 is drawn through the opening, the strands under tension will function to bring the snagengaging surfaces together. As the surfaces are brought together (FIG. 7), they tend to grip the loose and frayed fibers of snag 11. As the length of the snag-engaging surfaces is drawn through the opening 15, tension of the fibers 13a surrounding opening 15 continue to contract or crimp the surfaces together so they will engage, grip, and pull remaining fibers of the snag 11 through the fabric to the interior side 14 or at least into the opening 15.

As may be noted in the drawings, operation of the present invention is very easily accomplished. As a first step, the user inserts the pointed end 17 of shaft 16 into the fabric 13 as close to or directly on the snagged area. He then draws the shaft 16 through the fabric from the exterior side 12 to the interior side 14, stopping just as the shaft aperture 19 is drawn through the fabric. The user may then grip the shaft 16 from the interior side and pull the remainder of the snag engaging means 10 through the opening 15 created by shaft 16. The crimping and folding action of the flexible snag-engaging means 10 serves to engage and draw the snag from the exterior surface 12 into or through the opening 15 as illustrated in FIG. 4. When a device of the dimensions described above is utilized with conventional knitwear garments, the fibers 13a will return to a normal condition leaving no appearance of defect along the exterior surface where the snag has been removed.

It may be .obvious from the, above description and attached drawings that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the intended scope of this invention. It is for this reason that only the following claims are to be taken as definitions of the present invention.

What I claim is:

1. A snag repair device for removing a snag protruding from an exterior surface of a knitwear fabric comprising:

means for forming an opening through the knitwear fabric adjacent the snag;

flexible snag engaging means interconnected with said means for forming an opening; said flexible snag engaging means havingat least two elongated flexible gripping elements of finite length extending outward from the opening forming means in an un looped manner and terminating in free ends for engaging each other and the snag and drawing the snag into the opening as said elongated flexible elements are drawn through the opening from said exterior surface without either of the flexible gripping elements forming a loop about the snag; and wherein each flexible element is comprised of an elongated sheet of flexible material having face surfaces with longitudinal side edges in which the cross sectional dimension between the longitudinal side edges is substantially greater than the dimension of said opening whereby said face surfaces are caused to laterally compressed forming a plurality of folds to grip said snag within the folds as said elements are drawn through said opening.

2. The device set out in claim 1 wherein said firstnamed means comprises an elongated shaft having a cross-sectional dimension adjacent said flexible snag engaging means sufficient to forceably part fibers comprising said fabric to form said opening.

3. The snag repair device set out in claim 2 wherein said elongated shaft is pointed at one end and includes an aperture extending through the remaining end thereof for receiving said flexible snag engaging means.

4. The snag repair device set out in claim 1 wherein said elongated flexible sheet is comprised of a thin sheet of synthetic resin material.

5. The snag repair device set out in claim 2 wherein said elongated shaft is pointed at one end and includes an aperture extending through the remaining end thereof for receiving said flexible snag engaging means and wherein said flexible snag engaging means is received within said aperture with a section of said flexible material being folded longitudinally within said aperture to bring said longitudinal side edges substantially together to form a U-shaped cross section with the open end of said U-shaped cross section facing said pointed shaft end. 

1. A snag repair device for removing a snag protruding from an exterior surface of a knitwear fabric comprising: means for forming an opening through the knitwear fabric adjacent the snag; flexible snag engaging means interconnected with said means for forming an opening; said flexible snag engaging means having at least two elongated flexible gripping elements of finite length extending outward from the opening forming means in an unlooped manner and terminating in free ends for engaging each other and the snag and drawing the snag into the opening as said elongated flexible elements are drawn through the opening from said exterior surface without either of the flexible gripping elements forming a loop about the snag; and wherein each flexible element is comprised of an elongated sheet of flexible material having face surfaces with longitudinal side edges in which the cross sectional dimension between the longitudinal side edges is substantially greater than the dimension of said opening whereby said face surfaces are caused to laterally compressed forming a plurality of folds to grip said snag within the folds as said elements are drawn through said opening.
 2. The device set out in claim 1 wherein said first-named means comprises an elongated shaft having a cross-sectional dimension adjacent said flexible snag engaging means sufficient to forceably part fibers comprising said fabric to form said opening.
 3. The snag repair device set out in claim 2 wherein said elongated shaft is pointed at one end and includes an aperture extending through the remaining end thereof for receiving said flexible snag engagIng means.
 4. The snag repair device set out in claim 1 wherein said elongated flexible sheet is comprised of a thin sheet of synthetic resin material.
 5. The snag repair device set out in claim 2 wherein said elongated shaft is pointed at one end and includes an aperture extending through the remaining end thereof for receiving said flexible snag engaging means and wherein said flexible snag engaging means is received within said aperture with a section of said flexible material being folded longitudinally within said aperture to bring said longitudinal side edges substantially together to form a ''''U''''-shaped cross section with the open end of said ''''U''''-shaped cross section facing said pointed shaft end. 